day 3

Question 1

Libertarian thought on happiness/government

Answer 1

Government must protect the rights of the people in their “pursuit of happiness”

Question 2

Utilitarian thought on happiness/government

Answer 2

government should enact laws that promote the “safety and happiness” of the people

Question 3

What are important conceptions of happiness?

Answer 3

Greeks: eudemonic-happiness, flourishing as a human
puritans: happiness comes through submitting to Christ and forming a covenant community
utilitarians: happiness is the presence of pleasure and absence of pain
classic liberal thought: when tj and loan Locke and sam Johnson wrote of the pursuit of happiness, they invoked both greek and roman views, happiness is bound up with the civic virtues of courage, moderation, and justice

Question 4

what English philosopher talked about utilitarianism?

Answer 4

Jeremy Bentham-believed in the greatest happiness principle-greatest happiness for greatest amount

Question 5

strengths of utilitarianism

Answer 5

a) powerful and broad appeal of happiness
b) focus on real individuals not states, or groups
c) happiness is individually determined
d) everyones happiness is counts and counts the same

Question 6

weaknesses of utilitarianism

Answer 6

a) individual liberty and rights may not be protected-JS mill-long run-rule utilitarianism -minor suffering is okay for the benefit of long term
b) impractical to implement, ignores the distribution of happiness
c) can ignore what is right and wrong (virtue) in pursuit of happiness
d) doesn’t distinguish between types of pleasure
e) no built in constraint son govt power
weakness: utilitarianism does not protect the rights of all from the tyranny of the majority

Question 7

What different ways can people be unequal?

Answer 7

Rights, Opportunities, Resources, Income, Capabilities, Happiness

Question 8

Is utilitarianism a good foundation for government?

Answer 8

no, it doesn’t protect everyones rights